Subsumption in Theatre

Abstract

Abstract David Friedell has recently discussed the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic properties of art, specifically in music. Friedell claims that normative social rules dictate who can change the intrinsic or extrinsic properties of a piece of music. This chapter claims that in text-based theatre—as a particular art form—the dividing line between intrinsic and extrinsic properties of a play is sometimes tenuous. This tenuousness is due to a play’s bifurcated existence as a dramatic text and as many theatrical performances. Moving from investigating the truth found in a play to thinking about a problematic character type, the chapter examines a problem case that the offstage character poses for conversations surrounding indeterminate identity. It examines indeterminate identity, not by asking whether two characters can be identical, but by claiming that it is indeterminate whether the offstage character, Godot, corresponds to multiple fictional entities.